Biden forcefully defends Afghanistan exit and decision to end war

Washington — President Biden on Tuesday defiantly defended his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan by August 31, a withdrawal that ended a two-decade-long war when the final final U.S. military aircraft from the main airport in Kabul.

"I was not going to extend this 'forever war,' and I was not extending a 'forever exit,'" the president told the nation in a Tuesday afternoon address.  The president began by touting the military evacuation of thousands of Americans and Afghans, an operation he called successful, even though some Americans and vulnerable Afghans who helped the U.S. remain in the country. The president had earlier said the U.S. would stay if Americans were still left.